Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in the morning – June 29, 2014 – JDRC, USA
Jaya Guru Datta
This is Siva Loka. The world of Siva. That is the feeling I had during the Purnahuti. The family that took the initiative to conduct this program, with abhishekam, japam, homa, and Purnahuti, should receive great blessings from the Lord. Now they realize that many Datta devotees are devotees of Lord Siva. To perform worship to Siva, to do abhishekam, yajna, japa, there should be purity of mind and deep devotion amongst the devotees. My favorite Tamil devotees who have taken the initiative are totally fulfilled. Kannada, Telugu and other devotees have all gathered here. Siva is the last resort for all of us. He is our life’s breath. He is the only one in existence. Unnadi okade Sivudegaa (Swamiji’s bhajan in Telugu language). Those who understand the meaning of this simple bhajan will realize the importance of Lord Siva. It makes it very easy to understand Vedanta, about salvation. I am very happy. First day the situation was great. Today the last day also it is the same situation, atmosphere.
I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY. I AM SPEECHLESS.
With great dedication this program has taken place in the middle of this wooded area, Aranya madhye/in the middle of the forest. This is a nice forest. In the middle of a city this atmosphere will not be there. Here, amidst birdsongs, and a flowing spring stream (do not go there; there is a lot of poison ivy growing there). This is a gift from the Lord to the Datta devotees. We have conducted japa, homa, and parayana/chanting of mantras in this ashrama. The Sivalingam is of Bindu Roopa/ a mere infinitesimally small point, formless, like the sky, like a sphere, the entire universe is represented in Him, in Lord Siva. Siva is the source. He is the main Dharma. He is everything. He is without attributes. From Him all Dharmas, beliefs and religions have emerged. We worship Him as a mere point, Bindu. Crystal is chosen for that purpose. It has no boundary or limitation.
Is Siva there or not? He is there. He is not there. Does He exist? Only He, who does not exist, exists. He, who exists, does not exist. He, who does not exist, alone exists. You may think that this statement of Swamiji is causing confusion. Vedanta is confusion. It strains and filters everything and gives the final extract. In a lakebed, there are dead creatures. But the water at the surface is filtered, pure water. The water at the bottom is dirty and not potable. But are you drinking the dirty water? No. You drink the water that came from the bottom and got purified by the time it reached the surface. You drink only the purified water. You think you are drinking dirty water? No, you do not agree. But the water’s source is dirty.
Purification is sadhana. Repetitive sadhana will tell you what Siva is; like churning the buttermilk produces butter. You cannot get it without churning. Who am I? Who am I? Keep questioning till death. I am Ramayya. Father is C. Ramayya. Five generations you remember. In the end you will go to Brahmayya, meaning Lord Brahma. His father is without any attributes. Void is God? No. It begins from nothingness. It is not my subject to talk about it for hours together. Some people, even when there is no itch, begin scratching. It will then create a real itch. Does scratching create the itch? Yes. What was non-existent came into existence. Such is a Vedanta discourse.
I am speaking in front of a great Vedantic speaker here. What cannot be understood is being explained. Whatever is explained cannot be understood. Then don’t understand. I cannot explain the way you can grasp. Through my words you cannot grasp. You can only experience. You understand this only by experiencing it. Once you reach the level of direct experience, I will not speak any words to you. Why are there so many philosophical discussions and debates? Because, God can be both visible and invisible. He, who is invisible, can make Himself visible. Radiance will suddenly appear, bright even to a blind person. He also will feel the presence of light, although his eyes cannot see. Even the one without vision can feel the experience of Siva, the formless. During a rainstorm, when there is lightning, we close our eyes because of the brightness. You have seen it and have closed your eyes. But the one whose eyes are closed also feels the sudden flash of light. It is not necessary that the eyes alone have to see. All sense organs see and perceive. When you forget yourself, when the ‘I’ is not there, God will be seen. When there is no witness, He will be seen.
Why all this now? It is meal time. It sounds crazy but it should be grasped, only through practical experience. We point out how to climb a coconut tree. But you have to climb it yourself. Like a chain, if we all try to climb, if one person slips, everyone will fall down. We close our eyes and go to see Lord Venkateswara . When we are finally in front of the deity we get distracted with the volunteers who tell us to keep moving. We get angry and frustrated, and we miss the divine darshan of the Lord. By the time we realize it, we are outside the sanctum sanctorum. No matter what distractions you may have in life, your focus should be on your search. Swamiji’s bhajan is over? Yes. What were you doing? You were talking over the phone, giving messages. Your mind was elsewhere. Body is here. Program is over. Body traveled back and forth and got tired, but no benefit is attained. Unless the mind is also absorbed in the activity, there is no use. You must control your mind, like you control your body. Then you will understand what is going on here. Otherwise you will not understand. You are thinking of money, children, lust, office, travel, or driving. You chant Namassivaya as a physical exercise. Mentally also you should focus on Namassivaya. You are distracted with what is going on physically around you. Even five times if you say with full concentration, it will have full effect. Keep your eyes open. Look at me. Repeat after me five times. Namassivaya. Namassivaya. Namassivaya. Namassivaya. Namassivya. Your mind is not concentrating on the mantra being given by Guru. It is thinking, why did Swamiji leave out the OM? It is my will. What do you lose? You go and chant Om now if you wish. You should not entertain such doubts when Guru is giving you instructions.
Sri Guru Datta